Posted 1 year ago on Feb. 17, 2014, 3:39 p.m. EST by bohemian
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"Snowden, we are told could have reformed from the inside. He could have gone to his superiors or Congress or the courts. but Snowden had numerous examples - including the persecution of the whistle-blower Thomas Drake, who originally tried to go through so-called proper channels - to remind him that working within the system is fatal. He had watched as senior officials including Barack Obama lied to the public about internal surveillance. He knew that the President was dishonest when he assured Americans that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which meets in secret and hears only from the government, is "transparent." He knew that the President's statement that Congress was "overseeing the entire program" was false. He knew that everything Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the press, the Congress and the public about the surveillance of Americans was a lie. And he knew if this information was to be made available to the public he would have to do so through a few journalists he could trust"....my emphasis

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Snowden had numerous examples - including the persecution of the whistle-blower Thomas Drake, who originally tried to go through so-called proper channels - to remind him that working within the system is fatal.